Top 25 Greatest Musicals

25. Li’l Abner (1959)

If I was asked if Li’l Abner is one of the best musicals ever, I would argue yes. I originally watched it live at the St. Louis Muni Opera with the same cast. The film is so true to the stage musical that I was just as thrilled by it. It’s hilarious, extremely well directed, the cast is about as good as I could imagine and it's watchable again and again. Li’l Abner is such a wild eyed recreation of a classic comic that it blows nearly every other attempt away. The only knock on the film is it seems to be hidden away and is seldom played on TV.

24. South Pacific (1958)

Brilliantly made, with a superlative cast, along with even greater direction, South Pacific is one of the more somber selections, and possibly the largest in scope. Set during World War II and the battle against the mighty Japanese navy, South Pacific is a deadly serious, brilliant and chilling look at love, loss and the pain inherent in each. The music is unsurpassed, the plot excellent, if a bit predictable and the performances are superb. An exception would be that its large plot makes it less approachable than many of the others.

23. Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and one of the cleverer of the musical comedies, Kiss Me Kate runs two stories at once. The actual play with Howard Keel, as the indomitable Petruchio and Kathryn Grayson as Katharina, intertwines with the story of Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, the stars of the play, highlighting their rocky love story. Keel, as always, is brilliant to a fault and is the musical equivalent of Clark Gable; loved by women and respected by men. His presence on the screen is riveting. Taking nothing away from Grayson, she too has a beautiful and powerful presence on screen. The play is brilliant and the understory is great fun.

22. Oliver! (1968)

Charles Dickens is one of the best known writers in the world. His bleak depiction of the British Isles and his ability to create wonderful stories and legends is depicted in film after film: A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield and of course Oliver Twist, all of which are great classics. Oliver! is one of the best of those: a great story, a wonderful cast. It also has the best Fagan I’ve ever seen “reviewing the situation”, which makes Oliver! a must pick in the Top 25.